Town officials had expressed concern that it could set a precedent, leading to increased sand mining.

Before the vote, the farmer and property owner, Steve Mezynieski, took to the podium only to say he appreciated the amount of time the town put into reviewing his application.

While casting his vote, Councilman James Wooten said he would like to find a way to help Mr. Mezynieski establish a working farm at the property, which is just west of the FedEx building along Route 25 in Calverton, without taking so much sand.

Councilman John Dunleavy, who once favored allowing the excavation permit, agreed.

There were also five public hearings scheduled.

One hearing in particular, on a proposal designed to prevent people from renting houses for weekend parties, drew the most noise from members of the public.

It was also learned from town staffers that the Riverhead Republican Committee , which was holding its reorganizational meeting at the same time at Polish Hall, had elected Mason Haas as chairman, as had been expected. Mr. Haas is a town tax assessor.

Vic Prusinowski, a former councilman and current owner of Cody’s BBQ downtown, was elected vice chairman. Tammy Robinkoff was voted as treasurer and Tracy Stark James, the executive director of the town Industrial Development Agency, was voted in as secretary.

The Town Board meeting started at 7 p.m. and News-Review reporter Tim Gannon reported live.

The Riverhead Town Board approved two resolutions Tuesday night giving it “lead agency” status in the review of subdivision plans for town-owned land at the Enterprise Park at Calverton, as well as other zoning and reuse plans for the property.

The lead agency designation means that the town, and not the state, will have final say over plans for the site.

No state agencies sought lead agency status, officials said.

News-Review reporter Tim Gannon reported live from the meeting.

Click below to see what happend and below the blog box for a full meeting agenda and resolution packet.

The Riverhead Town Board heard opposition from the farm community to a proposed change to require stricter regulations on excavating land for agriculture during a public hearing tonight.

Farmers argued that under state law, agricultural uses are exempt from requiring permits for excavating, but Supervisor Sean Walter contends that under current rules, developers can just say they’re farming and operate sand mines instead.

The board also approved a resolution to hire Richard Marakovitz as a consultant on air traffic control issues for $200 a day, capped at $5,000. Mr. Marakovitz is being hired to help the town try to lure the FAA to EPCAL. Officials said Mr. Marakovitz has been helping the town voluntarily, but that there is a lot more work ahead on the issue.

Click below to read the recap of News-Review reporter Tim Gannon’s live blog during the meeting. The full agenda and resolution packet is below that.